The Irish bishops have asked parishes across the country to take up the challenge of climate change by taking action to make their local church and community eco-friendly.
The bishops' pastoral reflection, The Cry of the Earth, calls for action to address climate change at a governmental, parish and personal level. It also provides advice and resources for parishes to take steps to reduce their impact on the environment.
After launching the bishops' pastoral in St Francis of Assisi Primary School, a new sustainable energy school in Dublin, Archbishop Dermot Clifford told The Irish Catholic this was step one, and it is now up to parishes to take the next step to make a difference.
Archbishop Clifford saidPresident McAleese showed a good example when she recently spoke of turning off lights in the áras.
''This reminded me of a passage in Ecclesiastes about a time for everything. There is a time for turning the lights on and a time for turning the lights off. Even from an economic point of view, in the current climate it makes sense to be more careful in how we use the things around us.''
Fr Seán McDonagh, an environmental campaigner and a contributor to the pastoral reflection, said the document was a call to be Catholic in a new way. ''We must change the way we live and change the way we articulate out faith to meet the ecological crisis.''
''We can combine ecology with our Catholic traditions; celebrating the Eucharist is thanking God for creation, not eating meat on Fridays is not just about abstinence but about the carbon footprint of food. This is a challenge that people must take seriously, because the life of future generations depend on it. Everyone is confronted with the same issue and everyone has a role to play.''
Some parishes around Ireland have already begun to take up the green challenge.
St Oliver Plunkett's in Belfast was the first parish in Ireland to install solar panels to generate their own electricity.
Parish priest Fr Martin Magill also installed a wind turbine at the Church of the Nativity in his last parish.
Parishes in the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin are growing their own food in allotments set up by their parish priests, Fr Jim Gahan and Fr Brendan Howard.
Over 85,000 copies of the pastoral reflection and 1,750 parish packs will be sent to every parish on the island.
What can our parishes do?
Conduct an 'Environmental Audit' of your parish.Join with 'Churches Together in Britain and Ireland' (cbti) each year in celebrating the 'Creation Time' initiative.
Enrol in the Eco-Congregation Ireland environmental programme for Churches.
Include the theme of care for God's creation in homilies, prayers of the faithful and examinations of conscience.
Have occasional displays and other activities in your parish on the theme of caring for God's creation and regularly include details of initiatives being taken or proposals for action in your parish newsletter.
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